


Reunions

by Wyndewalker



Series: Three versions of the same story [1]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV), The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-06-16
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:31:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wyndewalker/pseuds/Wyndewalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys run into some old friends when they attend a conference in Cascade, Washington. Secrets, old and new, come to light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted to a Gen Sentinel yahoogroup as well as the Brigadears yahoogroup back in the late 90's. I later expanded it by roughly 47k words into Of Hostages Situations And Hospital Stays. _That_ was then expanded by another 13k into the slash version called Faces of Evil that was published as a zine novel. I'm posting all three listed as a series to try and cut down on the confusion.

**Grand Cascade Hotel & Conference Center**

"Hey guys, you're never gonna guess what I heard today," JD Dunne bounded up to the table where his six older friends and fellow ATF agents sat eating their lunch. There were some days Chris Larabee, team leader, wanted to turn their youngest member around so he could check for the Energizer battery in his back.

"You are surely not going to ingest that...that concoction, Mr. Tanner?" Ezra Standish asked with a shudder.

Vin looked down at the double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, onions, tomato, pickles, ketchup, relish and mayo on a sourdough roll with gravy cheese fries, then grinned. "Yep."

The grin widened when Ezra made a horrified choking noise as he bit into it with great enjoyment.

"Mr. Jackson, surely you have some comment to make on his deplorable eating habits?"

The dark-skinned ex-medic didn't bother to look up from his Chef's salad, "If he wants to clog his arteries with all that fat and grease and drive his cholesterol up so he brings on a heart attack and dies at an early age, that's his prerogative."

"Knew you'd see it my way, Nate."

Nathan just raised an eyebrow that turned to a look of pained startlement when Buck, laughing, slapped him on the back. JD heaved an exasperated sigh. Nobody ever listened to him.

"What did you hear, son?" Josiah asked, taking pity on him.

"I had this Computers & Surveillance seminar just now. It was pretty boring, I already knew most of what the guy had to say, although he did talk about this one program that was really cool. It could..."

"The point, JD. The point," Buck growled affectionately as he whapped the back of his head.

"Anyway," JD glared at the unrepentant ladies' man, "there were these two guys in the seminar also. One was older, about your age Buck; he was tall, and like half-bald. The other one was younger with long hair like yours, Vin, only curly. He was about my height. The older guy obviously didn't want to be there, he was asleep half the time. Every now and then he would look around and glare at someone. The other guy was taking notes like crazy and kept raising his hand to ask questions or answer one but the guy giving the lecture kept ignoring him. The guy sitting next to me was from the local PD and he told me that the younger one used to be some sort of doctoral student and he wrote his thesis on people called Sentinels. They're like Superman or something..."

"They have enhanced senses, JD. Not Superman, just above average senses," Josiah interrupted, frowning thoughtfully.

"Uh, okay. Well, this guy tried to claim that the detective he was working with, who's his partner now, was one of these Sentinel people. When the press got a hold of it and started making a big deal, he held a press conference and claimed the whole thing was a lie. He admitted to being a liar and a fraud. Then they still let him become a cop. He even got bumped right up to being a detective in the Major Crimes unit. Don't that seem weird?"

"Hell yeah. How do you let someone like that become a cop? It don't seem right," Buck said, shaking his head.

"Being as we don't know all the circumstances I believe it would be wrong of us to pass judgment on the young man, Brothers."

"Are you telling me that you think it's right they gave a badge to someone who admitted to handing in a fraudulent paper and then lied about it? You're kidding right?" Nathan looked over at Josiah, not believing he'd heard what he had.

"If they saw fit to give him a badge after what occurred I think there is more to it than meets the eye," Josiah said a bit sternly.

"Ya know, Josiah's right. They wouldn't have given him a badge without a good reason." Vin shrugged, noticing that Ezra had grown quiet during the conversation and realized it had probably brought up memories of the rumors surrounding his own career. Rumors he had never been able to fully get away from. "It's real easy for things to get twisted around an' around until you don't know what's truth any more and what ain't."

"Naw, that just don't sit right." Buck shook his head in disagreement. "The guy went on TV and said he was a fraud and a liar. Why would he do that, destroy his own career and credibility, if it wasn't true that he'd lied? How many people do you know would destroy their own lives to protect someone else's?"

Vin looked at him closely before shaking his head sadly. "I thought I knew at least six people who would."

Suddenly JD's eyes opened wide and pointed to a table across the room, his voice wasn't much more than a whisper. "Those are the two guys I was talking about."

Six heads turned to follow his gaze. On the other side of the dining room the two men sat at a table oblivious to the scrutiny.

"Captain?" Vin breathed, barely aware that he'd spoken aloud. Chris and Ezra looked at him, being the only ones who'd heard.

"I think you have been misinformed, JD. That man is incapable of that kind of deception," Josiah said, unable to tear his eyes from the familiar face.

"You two know them?" Chris asked, looking from Vin to Josiah.

"I think so," Vin answered, his hand trembling slightly as he gulped from his drink.

"I know the younger man very well," Josiah said with a paternal smile, but it turned to a frown when he thought of what JD had told them. Something wasn't right. "I think it's time we renewed our acquaintance."

"What do you mean you think so? Either ya know him or ya don't," Buck asked, as Vin rose with Josiah.

"I ain't sure it's him cause the Captain went MIA in Peru close to nine years ago. So, I don't know, but I'm gonna find out."

The others scrambled to follow after the pair as they wended their way through the crowded dining room. Ezra noticed that most of the tables surrounding the pair were empty, very unusual considering the amount of people dining. He also noticed some of the openly hostile looks directed at the pair. From the way the older man would occasionally turn to glare at someone it was obvious they were not unaware of the attention they were receiving. As they got closer the younger man noticed them first. His mouth opened in a shocked 'oh' then broke into huge smile.

"Tree?"

"Lord, it's good to see you, Blair." Josiah grinned and scooped Blair up into a big bear hug.

"Tree?" Buck and Nathan mouthed to each other with upraised eyebrows. JD just grinned at the happy reunion, all thoughts of the earlier conversation gone. Chris and Ezra were more concerned about Vin, who had hung back as Josiah approached Blair. The older man with him had risen to his feet frowning slightly. He didn't seem angry; he just didn't appear to like not knowing what was going on.

Finally Vin took a step forward and said hesitantly, "Captain?"

Pale blue eyes swung from Josiah and Blair to the shy sharpshooter. The eyes widened in recognition as they took in the lanky form, the long brown hair, and blue eyes almost as pale as his own. "Tanner?"

"Yeah, Captain. Wasn't sure ya'd remember me," he said as they clasped hands then hugged briefly. Pulling back, Jim kept a hand on his shoulder, "Still as scrawny as ever I see."

"Yup. Still the runt a the litter."

Jim's eyes clouded over for a moment and the sadness was visible to everyone. "Yeah, but you were the runt of my litter," he said softly.

"The others?" Vin asked, certain he already knew the answer. The negative shake of Jim's head confirmed it. "Damn."

"Ahem," Ezra coughed politely, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. They were drawing a fair number of looks and most of them were not entirely friendly. "Perhaps we should move this reunion to a more private place where Mr. Tanner and Mr. Sanchez can make introductions?"

"Um, yeah. I think there's an empty conference room down the hall from here. There aren't any seminars scheduled in there today."

"Please tell me you didn't memorize the entire conference schedule and room assignments, Chief?"

"I didn't want to be late for anything." Blair shrugged, leading the way.

"But the entire schedule? And you call me anal retentive."

"You are anal retentive, Mr. I go into a cleaning frenzy if I find a speck of dust under the refrigerator. Mr. I have a house rule for everything."

"Maybe your friend should visit the CDC for a week or so, Mr. Tanner. We might see an improvement."

"Nah, the Captain'd have a heart attack if he ever saw the CDC."

"Why would I have a heart attack if I saw the Center for Disease Control?" Jim turned to look at Ezra and Vin.

"Not *the* CDC, but the domicile in which Mr.'s Wilmington and Dunne currently co-habitat. Due to its state of cleanliness, or lack thereof, it has acquired the nickname of the CDC. We are all quite convinced that there are numerous exotic and deadly diseases germinating therein."

"He means it's a mess," Blair clarified when Jim frowned.

"Yeah, I got that part. I'm just amazed that there's someone besides you who can fit that many ten-dollar words in a sentence."

"Why do I think I should resent that slanderous remark?"

"Cut it out, Ezra," Chris growled. "We've been here barely 24 hours. If you get us in another fight..."

"Oh no, last evening's unfortunate misunderstanding at the airport was all Mr. Wilmington's fault. I refuse to take the blame for that. How was I supposed to know that the gentleman inquiring about Mr. Wilmington's 'discussion' with the red-haired woman was her husband? Speaking of Mr. Wilmington, would you go retrieve him, Mr. Dunne, as we have reached our destination."

"Sure. Where is he?" JD turned to look for the older man.

"Just down the hall talking to that lovely brunette," Ezra sighed, pointing him out.

"Okay," JD grinned, heading down the hallway. As he went he unclipped his nametag from his shirt and shoved it in his pocket.

"This should be fun," Vin grinned at Chris, who just shook his head.

Josiah leaned in towards Blair, standing by the door. "Best get ready to open that door real quick. JD's having some fun."  
None of them could hear what was being said, but the five ATF agents had a pretty good idea. Jim extended his hearing to listen in.

"If you're free how about we go out to dinner tonight? I'm sure this city has some great restaurants. What do you say?"

Before she could answer JD bounced up to them, an expression of wide-eyed innocence on his face. "There you are, Dad. I've been looking all over for you. Is she coming with us to the Zoo?"

Buck just stared at him in open-mouthed astonishment. The woman looked from Buck to JD and back to Buck. She could definitely see the similarities. JD's next words brought her attention back to him.

"She's real pretty, Dad. You should make her my new mom. Do you want to be my new mom? You're much prettier than the three women he's dating back home."

Buck was still staring at JD when she slapped him across the face and stormed off. This seemed to bring him out of his daze. It was clear from his expression that JD wasn't going to live long if he didn't run; and run he did. "I'm gonna kill you, boy!"

The others couldn't help but snicker as the pair ran past in to the conference room. They followed at a more sedate pace. Buck had cornered JD behind a chair and was advancing on him when Chris called a halt to it.

"Buck, JD, sit down." He glared at them until they complied. JD made sure to put Nathan between him and Buck. Finally when they were all settled, Chris indicated for Josiah to make introductions.

"All right, this young scamp is JD Dunne, our computer and surveillance expert. Next to him is Nathan Jackson, former Army Medic, EMT, and our Forensics specialist. He also tries to keep us all in one piece despite some of our best efforts to the contrary." JD and Vin had the grace to blush, while Ezra just raised his eyebrows in a 'Who, me?' look. "The black-haired man with the mustache is Buck Wilmington. Ladies man and self-appointed big brother to JD. Most of the time his job consists of keeping JD from getting himself killed."

"Hey!" JD protested.

"Thankless job it is too," Buck muttered.

"Can it you two," Chris growled.

"The gentleman with the sunny disposition dressed in black is Chris Larabee, our team leader."

"Team babysitter you mean," he muttered this time.

Josiah ignored him. "The long-haired young man with the Texas accent is Vin Tanner, our sharpshooter and tracker. The fashionably dressed gentleman next to him is Ezra Standish, our undercover agent."

"Charmed, I'm sure." Ezra gave them his customary two-finger salute.

"Hey, cool shades. Are they Ray-bans?" Blair asked, just noticing the Southerner had yet to remove them.

"I thought you said your eyes weren't bothering you anymore?" Nathan demanded, starting to rise from his chair.

"I assure you, Mr. Jackson, my eyesight is fine."

"Quite being such a peacock, Ezra, and take off the glasses. You can put them back on when we leave the room." There were some days he really wished he could shoot the smart-mouthed Southerner himself. With a sigh Ezra pulled off the glasses, revealing the fading bruise and slightly puffy eye.

"Wow, man, nice shiner. How'd you get it?"

"A minor misunderstanding, Mr.?"

"Oh, I'm Blair Sandburg and this is my partner, Jim Ellison. We're detectives in the Major Crimes unit here in the Cascade PD. What PD are you all with?"

"We're ATF agents," JD said proudly.

"Out of the Denver office." Vin added.

Jim shook his head. "Don't tell me you moved back to Purgatorio?"

Vin gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged, "It's home."

"What's Purgatorio?"

"The Hell's Kitchen of Denver, son," Josiah answered.

"You live there?" Blair turned to glare at Jim, "And you thought *I* was crazy for living in the neighborhood I used to live in."

"Chief, your apartment was demolished when the drug lab next door blew up. That is a bad neighborhood. And don't give me any of that crap about how cheap it was. A bad neighborhood is a bad neighborhood."

"Your apartment blew up?" Josiah frowned at Blair.

"Long story, man. Long story."

"He's right you know, pard," Chris said to Vin.

"Uh-uh. We ain't startin' this again, Chris. I ain't moving."

"As much as I would love to witness yet another debate over where it would be best for Mr. Tanner to reside I believe the lunch hour has drawn to a close." Ezra informed them, slipping his sunglasses back on. "Perhaps this conversation could be continued at a later time?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Dinner, maybe? We don't have anything scheduled tonight do we, Chris?" Josiah looked to him for confirmation.

"Evenings are free to do whatever you want," he shot a warning glare at their three youngest and most prone to trouble, "within reason."

"How about we have everyone over to the loft, Jim?"

"Sorry, Chief. Tonight's Poker Night, or did you forget?" Jim noticed Ezra sit up a little straighter at the mention of poker.

"Nah, I didn't forget, but only Simon and Megan are coming."

"What about..."

"Joel's daughter has a dance recital tonight. H has a hot date with Shar-Lee Michaels from accounting; and Rafe mumbled something about blood-sucking fiends so I think his sister is in town. So?"

"All right. How does eight sound?"

"If you're sure it's not a problem?" Chris asked, knowing how quickly, and easily, his exuberant agents could wear out their welcome.

"Yeah, it's fine. I just wasn't sure how the others would react to so many additions to the game, but Simon and Connors won't mind. Chief, paper and pen?" Jim took the pad and pen from Blair and quickly wrote out directions to the loft. "Here's directions. It's apartment 307. I don't think the elevator's working again so you may have to use the stairs."

"'Kay. We'll see you at eight then. All right, boys, let's get going. Ezra, I don't care how much of an idiot the lecturer is, keep your comments to yourself. I've already had one complaint about your smart-ass remarks. Vin, I don't care how cool it is you are not bringing home any new guns. Ezra, keep an eye on him. Hit on one more instructor, Buck, and I will lock you in your hotel room and make sure they only send up *male* staff. JD,...keep a leash on Buck. Josiah, Nathan, have fun."

Jim and Blair watched and listened in amusement as Chris herded his team out of the room. Jim heard him mutter, "I'm not an ATF agent; I'm a den mother."

**That Night at the Loft**

"Hey, Simon, could you grab the door? The guys are coming up the stairs," Jim called from the bathroom. Simon paused halfway between the kitchen counter and the card table, his arms filled with bags of chips, pretzels and bottles of soda. Megan smiled at his predicament.

"I'll get it, Captain. Why don't you finish setting out the crisps and drinks?"

"Thanks, Connors. And how many times do I have to tell you it's Simon when we're off-duty."

"Of course, Capt...Simon."

"Hey, Jim, where'd you put the pepper?" Blair asked, not bothering to raise his voice while he stirred the pot of chili.

"Middle cabinet, top shelf, where you put it, Sandburg."

"Ah, there it is." Blair grabbed it off the shelf letting the cabinet door bang closed. "I know. I know. Don't bang the cabinets."

Megan shook her head at their bantering. They really seemed like an old married couple sometimes. Smiling, she opened the door just as Chris raised his hand to knock. Oh my, she thought, looking at the assortment of handsome men standing in front of her. Before she could invite them in Jim came storming out of the bathroom.

"Jesus, Sandburg, do you think you could have at least cleaned the bathroom a little after your shower? You'd think I was living with Pigpen instead of one neo-hippie witch-doctor..."

"That's getting sooo old, man, and I was going to clean the bathroom. It's not my fault you waited until after we got home to tell me you hadn't had a chance to go shopping for tonight." Blair shook the spoon he'd been stirring with at Jim and watched in horror as some chili went flying off, narrowly missing Jim but hitting Simon square in the chest.

"Sandburg!" Simon bellowed, taking a step forward.

"Uhm, boys? Company's here," Megan announced, smiling sweetly at the three men.

"Hi!" JD piped up cheerfully, while the other six snickered. Actually Chris was just shaking his head in sympathy. It reminded him of some of the Seven's own gatherings.

"Uh, hi, guys. C'mon in," Blair said, hurrying over to greet them before Simon could take the chance to pound him.

"Here, Simon. I think I have a sweatshirt that'll fit you," Jim said, leading him up to the loft.

As the guys filed in Buck sidled up to Megan, giving her his best smile as he smoothed the front of his blue denim shirt, "Well hello there, darlin'. Name's Buck. I sure wish the boys had told me there was gonna be such a fine lookin' woman here, cause I'd a worn my best set a clothes."

"Don't let him fool you, ma'am. Those are his best set of clothes," JD said in a stage whisper, then ducked as Buck swiped at him.

"I'm not from the States so I'm still a bit fuzzy on the way you Yanks phrase things, but was that a pick-up line?"

"No, my dear," Ezra spoke up as he folded the twenty Vin handed him, "that is what we call a come-on. Pick-up lines are usually more obvious, particularly when spouted by Mr. Wilmington. And for the record I am from Atlanta, Georgia. If anything I am a Reb, not a Yank, and technically Mr. Tanner would be a Texan. You have a most charming accent. What region of Australia do you hail from?"

"Oooo, I like him. He can stay, Sandy."

Blair just rolled his eyes. "Let me introduce everybody then I'll take jackets. I think I remember everyone's names. You met Buck, the Reb is Ezra, Vin is the one with long hair, Chris is the one in black, JD is the one by the CDs, Josiah is in the kitchen sampling my chili, and Nathan is next to him. Did I get everybody right? Guys, this is Megan Connors, she's a Police Inspector from the New South Wales PD in Australia and is on semi-permanent loan to the Cascade Major Crimes unit."

"Hey, kinda like Ez, only we got him from the Fibbies. Oww, that hurt, Buck." JD rubbed the back of his head where he'd been smacked.

"I sincerely doubt she left her home under the same auspices I did."

Megan saw the slight grimace cross his features before settling back in to the carefully bland façade. Time to change the subject, she thought. "So do you always wear sunglasses at night?"

"No," he sighed, slipping them off to reveal the still fading bruise, "only on special occasions."

She blushed realizing she'd just put her foot in it. "You know," she said brightly, taking Ezra's jacket, "that reminds of the time me brother, Denny, told Missy Hayesben that girls couldn't throw a proper punch."

"Girls can't throw a good punch," JD said, coming back in to the kitchen area.

Chris and Vin grinned at each other while Buck just shook his head. Megan smiled at him and patted his hand as she took his jacket. "Tell that to Denny and the shiner he sported for three weeks."

Vin looked over the munchies spread out and smiled. His voice was barely audible as he mumbled, "Can't believe he remembered."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find real mesquite flavored pork rinds in Cascade, Runt? Hell, in the state of Washington? You used to live on those things if I remember correctly." Jim smiled at Vin's blush as he came down the stairs, Simon right behind him. "Guys, this is Simon Banks, our Captain."

The seven introduced themselves as they got settled in with a beer and munchies, although Blair did look to Chris for permission before handing one to JD. Buck ruffled his hair at his young friend's disgruntled look.

"You have a truly magnificent view from here, Mr. Ellison. Your rent must be a fortune." Ezra commented from where he stood by the balcony doors.

"Actually I own this apartment, and the name is Jim. Every time I hear Mr. Ellison I turned around to look for my dad."

"As you wish, Mr....Jim."

"This is pretty good, Blair, but something's different. You changed the recipe?" Josiah indicated the pot of chili still simmering on the stove.

"Ostrich meat. It's sooo much better for you, Tree," Blair grinned as he patted Josiah's ample middle.

"I thought I taught you to respect your elders, son?"

"That's it. Why in tarnation do you keep callin' him a tree?" Buck demanded, plopping down on to the couch. Blair grinned at Josiah, who just heaved a heavy sigh. "Go ahead and tell them."

"Well, ya see..."

"Is this going to be a long story, gentlemen?" Ezra interrupted before Blair could get started.

"Sorta."

"Then perhaps we should start the game before you begin?"

"Aw hell, Ezra, you're just lookin' to take our money sooner than later."

"Mr. Wilmington, how quickly I take your money depends solely upon how badly you play."

The others just snickered as Buck heaved himself off the couch, grumbling the entire time, and came to join them.

"Well, I don't know about you boys, but I don't intend to go home with less than what I started with. I must admit I'm a fair hand at the game." Megan smiled, neatly stacking her money in front of her.

"Well, well, the lady is a confident player. What about you, gentlemen? Are you as confident as the lovely Miss Connors?"

"Will you just deal the cards, Ezra, and no cheating. We're guests here," Chris said, munching on some pretzels.

"Mr. Larabee, I am deeply hurt be your libelous remark. I never cheat, unless of course you can prove I do." He smiled smugly, quickly and easily manipulating the cards through his slim dexterous fingers.

Simon leaned in towards Chris and said conspiratorially, "Do you ever get the feeling that you're not leading highly trained law enforcement agents but unruly kids instead?"

"Every day. Every day."

"All right, gentlemen and one very lovely lady, its five card stud, nothing is wild. Time to lose your money to the superior player."

"So, why do you call Josiah Tree, Blair?" Nathan asked, picking up the cards he'd been dealt.

"It goes back to when we first met. I was about ten at the time and my mom, Naomi and I were living in this religious commune. I don't remember a whole lot of what the guy was spouting, just that it was this really funky take on the New Testament. I don't think Mom believed in it so much as it was a decent place to stay for a while and she had some old friends there. One of the 'rules' was that if you were over the age 15 you took on a new name to symbolize the beginning of your new life in the community. Mom was Summer Rain Falling Gently on Moonlight Waves, or Summer for short."

"You were part of a cult, Josiah?" Nathan looked at the large man in confusion. He was the last person Nathan would ever believe susceptible to being sucked in to one of those things.

"I wouldn't say I was really a part of it, Brother. Like Blair and Summer I found it a convenient place to rest for a time."

"So what were they callin' you?" Vin tossed his cards on the table, folding.

"He was Tall Tree Reaching Ever Upward to the Blue Sky."

Josiah heaved a resigned sigh as he listened to the snickers around the table. He knew he was in for a round of teasing and practical jokes once they got back to Denver.

"So you and Blair's mom were friends in this cult place?" JD asked, frowning thoughtfully at his cards.

"Something like that, son."

"Boy, I have got ta learn you some more about things between men and women."

"What? Oh!" JD blushed bright red as he realization dawned.

"You and Naomi were together, what, two years? I think that's still a record for her. Josiah was like a father to me. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here, in more ways than one." Suddenly Blair rose to his feet, folding his hand, and asked, "Anyone need another beer?"

There was a chorus of sures and why nots as he moved into the kitchen. Jim followed, concerned for his younger friend. Even with all the progress they'd made in repairing their relationship there were still many things Blair kept to himself, letting them eat away at him until even Jim couldn't miss the fact that there was a problem.

"You okay, Chief?" he asked, opening the fridge to pull out the requested beers.

"Yeah, I guess. It's just...never mind."

"No, what is it? I thought we agreed to no secrets? If something is bothering you I'd like to know."

Blair thought a moment before answering. "When I said I looked up to Josiah like a father, I really meant it. Not because he was cool to be with, but because he *listened* to me. Naomi had a lot of boyfriends over the years. Some were nice, some weren't, and most of them just ignored me. Josiah, though, he paid attention to what I had to say and he encouraged my curiosity and my dreams. In a way he was my first mentor in anthropology. He started me on it, showing me his work and it was because of his love for it that I came to love anthropology. He's had to have heard about that damn press conference, or at the very least is wondering why I'm a cop instead of an anthropologist. I know he won't ask until were alone, but he will ask. I hate the thought of him being disappointed in me."

Jim heard the unspoken question and the unspoken promise that whatever Jim decided he would abide by it. "Do you trust him, Blair?"

"More than anything in this world. I've already trusted him with my life and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"If he asks then tell him the truth."

"Are you sure, Jim?"

"Yes. If you trust him and it means this much to you, then yes, tell him."

"Thanks, Jim. This really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't go getting all sappy on me," Jim smiled to take the bite out of his words. "C'mon, we better deliver these before the natives start getting restless."

"Uh, too late."

"Now wait just a minute, Connors. I just threw out that card. How'd you get it?" Simon glared at her, then his cards and back again to her.

"You can't expect me ta believe you really prefer Mr. Fancypants here to me?"

"But he fills out those fancy pants so nicely," Megan said, winking at Ezra who promptly choked on his beer. This led Vin to start pounding on his back until Ezra glared at him. "Would you kindly cease and desist that, Mr. Tanner?"

"Are you telling me I don't fill out my jeans nicely?" Buck demanded, starting to rise from his chair.

"Buck, sit or so help me..." Chris growled.

Buck gave him a hurt look before sitting, although he didn't stay down long as JD said, "Yeah, Buck, sit. Good dog. Hey, you can't kill me here. We're guests."

The two of them went tumbling off their chairs as Buck grabbed him in a headlock.

"Just remember guys I'm off-duty tonight so if you hurt yourselves I ain't patchin' you up!" Nathan had to shout to be heard over the noise they were making.

"Get that odious thing off my plate, Mr. Tanner."

"Oh, come on, Ez, just one try. It ain't gonna kill you. Hey, you made me eat that damn es...es...those damn snails on our last undercover job. Least I ain't asking ya ta eat something slimy."

Acceding the point, Ezra gingerly placed the smallest mesquite BBQ pork rind he could find in his mouth. Jim handed him a beer as he slowly began to turn bright red and sweat formed on his brow from the effort not to gag. Instead he nearly choked as he tried to swallow as much beer as he could to wash down the vile taste.

"That was the foulest thing I have ever had the misfortune to put in my mouth. It is a miracle you have not expired from food poisoning or plain old indigestion yet, Mr. Tanner," Ezra finally managed to gasp out.

"Good ain't they?" Vin chuckled.

"Watch it, cowboy."

"Aw, it didn't do'im no harm."

Chris just raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Ez."

"Your apology is accepted, but do not think for one minute you will escape retribution."

"Ezra."

"What? Why should I not seek retribution?"

"I said I was sorry."

"And Simon thinks we're bad," Blair commented to Jim. It was Josiah who finally brought everyone back to order.

"Are we playing poker or not?"

The others managed to settle back down although not everyone was a happy camper. After a moment of everyone carefully studying their cards, Chris looked over at Blair, "So why is Josiah responsible for your being here?"

"Why don't you tell them, Tree? You probably remember more about that night than I do."

"All right. Well, as seems to be the trend with most 'cult' leaders, Brother Star saw fit to supplement the wealth of 'our community', and I say that loosely since we never knew about or saw this extra wealth, with several illegal ventures, including the sale of drugs and weapons. I had only been in the commune about a month at that point. Blair and Summer had been there closer to two months. One evening, despite the curfew that we were expected to follow, I had gone for a walk. This is how I came to hear a most enlightening conversation between Brother Star and unknown man, who was apparently his accomplice. The FBI were on to Star and his activities and were set to raid the commune in a couple of days. Rather than go down for his crimes and be disgraced in the eyes of his followers he decided to pull a Jonestown, spiked fruit punch and all. I talked Summer into leaving the next day, but we weren't allowed to leave the grounds. Apparently Star didn't want to take the chance of anyone getting out and warning the local authorities of what was about to happen.

"What I was unaware of was that there was an agent already undercover in the commune. He had warned the FBI and they moved up the raid catching Star by surprise. The man snapped completely. Started firing on anyone and everything that got in his sights. Didn't matter to him who it was; follower or FBI, man, woman or child. I took a bullet in the side when he turned his gun on Blair." Josiah expression had grown dark at the memories; so many innocents had died that night.

"Jesus, Blair, even as a kid you were a trouble magnet. Why didn't you ever say anything about this?" Jim's eyes had turned an icy blue at the thought that a madman's bullet had nearly prevented him from ever meeting his best friend and Guide.

"Wasn't much to tell, Jim. I really don't remember a whole lot from that night. Just darkness, the sound of gunfire, people screaming, and being absolutely terrified. Most of that are just things I remember from my nightmares."

"I don't understand how people can do something like that? How can you take a gun and aim it at a defenseless child?" There were times when JD just couldn't grasp the concept of the evil that lurked beneath the surface of man.

Buck patted his back comfortingly; "There really ain't an easy answer to that, kid. Some people don't have no respect for the gift of life and how precious it is."

"It really is amazing how one moment can have such an impact on our lives. I'd hate to think what things would be like if you hadn't done what you did, Josiah. And as exasperating as Sandburg can be, I for one am glad he's around." Simon said, the last part spoken with his chin tucked down against his chest as if he was embarrassed by what he'd said.

Josiah smiled and said, "You and me both, Brother. You and me both. Once I was released from the hospital and the FBI decided they wouldn't need us to testify we headed east to Kentucky where a friend of mine had a small farm outside of Lexington. I started working on my doctoral thesis again. About a year and a half later I was asked to go on an expedition to Africa. I asked Summer and Blair to come with me, but Summer decided it was time to move on. Where'd you two head off too? Montana I think it was."

"Yeah, Mom has friends near Missoula. We were only there a couple of months before heading to California. We pretty much criss-crossed around the country after that. We never really stayed in one place for too long. Although there were a few times Naomi would leave me with friends of hers while she disappeared off to wherever. When I was sixteen I passed the entrance exams to Rainier University and stayed on there. Naomi stuck around for a few months, but then she was off again."

"You mean she just left you there, all by yourself?" JD asked, ignoring Ezra's snort.

"It wasn't really any different than any other kid going off to college."

"Yeah, but you were only sixteen? How could your ma just leave you with complete strangers?"

"Pardon me, gentlemen, while I use the lavatory." Ezra tossed his cards on the table as he rose from his chair. Vin watched him go then turned and glared at JD.

"What?"

"You know his ma used ta leave him with strangers all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not like I'm saying that was right neither. I just don't understand how someone could just leave their kid like that is all."

"Kid," Buck said, the exasperation clear in his voice, "some mom's have got a real strong maternal instinct and some don't. Maude definitely don't, and it sounds like Blair's mom's instinct took a vacation every now and then. It's just the way the world goes."

"Naomi wasn't a bad mom, JD, just a little flighty."

"Think you're being a little generous there, aren't you, Chief?"

"Shut up, Jim."

Josiah shook his head, "How is she doing now anyway? Lord, it's been a long time since I saw her."

"Hey, Chief, why don't you go show Josiah the pictures you took of her last year?"

"Sure," Blair nodded, "they're in my bedroom."

As he and Josiah walked across the room he quietly whispered, "Thanks, Jim."

Jim allowed a small smile to flit across his lips before looking up at the others, "All right, boys. I'll see Ezra's five and raise you ten."

Blair chuckled, closing the door, as Buck slapped his cards on the table muttering 'aw hell' and a couple of the others folded their hands. He snagged a couple of photo albums off the bottom shelf of his bookcase and handed them to Josiah who was looking at his display of Chopec items. "Jim and I were in Peru over the summer visiting the Chopec; the tribe that rescued him. Those are some of the things we were given while we visited. The lopsided basket is my bad attempt at making one."

"Rescued?"

"Yeah, that mission Jim and Vin keep referring to? Very long story short, Jim's chopper went down in the jungles of Peru. He was the only survivor and was rescued by the Chopec. Eventually the Army came looking for him and he returned to Cascade."

"I see." And in a way he did. It was obvious, to him at least; that there was a great deal Blair wasn't telling him. While he wasn't familiar with the Chopec specifically, he did know enough about South American tribes to recognize shamanic items. Items that were only given from one Shaman to another. Things, while still complicated, were beginning to make a lot more sense now. Knowing Blair would talk to him when he was ready, Josiah allowed himself to be distracted by the photo albums.

A little while later he smiled sadly, brushing his fingertips over a recent picture of mother and son together, the love evident in their eyes. "She's still so beautiful." He took a deep breath before asking, "How did she take to your becoming a cop?"

"You know Naomi," Blair answered getting to his feet to pace the small confines of his room. "She said she was okay with it and all, but last time she checked in with me she was still in India 'processing' it all. She's been there over a year now."

Josiah grabbed Blair's wrist, halting his pacing. Blair wouldn't look at him though. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

"Look at me, son." When Blair's gaze finally met his own he had to swallow past the lump that suddenly formed in his throat. There was sadness and shame in the dark blue eyes; but worst of all was the fear. Fear that Josiah would hate him, reject him for the choices he had made and the things he had done. "Blair, son, no matter what has happened or what you tell me I will always love you as my son, even if you are only my son in spirit and not in blood. I will never be disappointed in you. The journey to manhood is a difficult road to travel and no one can say they did not make a few mistakes along the way. I can see that you have grown in to a good man, your friends are proof of that. So, please, never feel that you have disappointed me or that I will reject you. I love you too much, my son, to hurt you that way."

He rose to his feet, pulling the younger man in to his arms, holding him tightly as they both wept.

Out in the main room Jim looked up with a start as he realized Simon had been calling his name.

"Sorry, Simon, what'd you say?"

"It's your turn to bid. You okay, Jim? You kind of *zoned* out there for a moment."

"Yeah, just thinking. Really, everything's fine, Simon."

"Ya know, last time I saw ya thinkin' that hard, Captain, you were tryin' ta figure out what to do ta me for that prank I'd pulled on Corporal Myers."

Jim smiled, grateful for Vin's attempt to lighten things up. "So, do you remember what your punishment was?"

Vin blushed and mumbled, "Wish I could forget."

This of course set everyone demanding to know what the punishment had been.

Back in Blair's room Blair finally pulled away, wiping at the tears on his cheeks, and dropped down in to his desk chair. Josiah resumed his own seat on the futon. "Why don't you start from the beginning? Before you do though, I have heard about the press conference last year. Not much, just rumors and hearsay. I'd like to know what really happened from you, son."

Blair nodded, "I figured you had. When I didn't hear from you I figured you'd seen it and didn't want anything to do with me."

"No, son, never. I only heard about it this morning. Not more than ten minutes before we ran in to you and Jim. From what I figure it took place right around the time we were working on a big bust. Ezra and Vin were undercover and had been made; got themselves kidnapped again. Vin wasn't too badly hurt; a few broken ribs, a broken arm, concussion, and a powerful lot of bruises. Nearly lost Ezra though. He spent almost a week on life support." Josiah paused, sucking in a ragged breath, releasing it in a mirthless chuckle. "I don't think any of us left that hospital room the entire time. I think we were afraid he...but he didn't, thank the Lord."

"It sounds like you care about them a lot."

"I do. They're family, just like you are. So, tell me. What happened?"

Blair took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "About five years ago now I was working on my doctoral thesis on Sentinels. You remember what I told you about them, right? Well, a friend of mine at Cascade General called me and told me about a cop who'd come in complaining about noises that were too loud, lights too bright and so on. He was having sensory spikes. I got myself in to the hospital, managed to give him my card and told him I knew what was wrong with him. The next day he showed up at my office at Rainier and that was how I met Jim Ellison, fledgling Sentinel. And Jim is a Sentinel in every sense of the word, Josiah. Burton's monograph was only the tip of the iceberg. Some of the things I've seen him do are simply amazing. His senses are so finely tuned it's unbelievable. He can track a person through a crowded street by following the scent of their perfume.

"There have been some downsides to it. Jim has never been happy with the idea of being a lab rat and I am so kosher with that, although occasionally I have been a bit overzealous. He's also had some issues with trust and I've been kicked out of here at least once. I mean, he was really reacting to another Sentinel being in his territory, being near his Guide, but it took getting kicked out and drowned before it really sunk in to me what was happening."

"Wait a minute, he drowned you? And you're still here?"

"Huh? Oh! No, Jim didn't drown me. Alex Barnes, this psychopathic Sentinel who sooo did not understand the concept of protecting the tribe, did. It's this whole big complicated story, but what it pretty much amounts to is Alex drowned me, I started to crossover, but somehow Jim called me back. One minute I'm running through the jungle as my spirit guide, the Wolf, I leaped forward and merged with Jim's spirit guide, the Panther, and the next thing I know I'm coughing up water. Alex is in a mental hospital. She went crazy at the Temple of Sentinels and sent her senses in to complete overload. I've tried a couple of times to bring her out of it, but between the fact that I'm not her Guide and I'm still just a little bitter about being killed, I haven't been able to."

"What do you mean by not her Guide? What's a Guide?"

"Every Sentinel has a Guide, someone to watch their back, especially while using their senses. You see Sentinels are prone to zoning out when they focus too much on one sense. They become lost in it. A Guide is a Sentinel's anchor. The sound of my voice, my heart beat, my touch, even my scent is imprinted on Jim's senses. If Jim zones I'm pretty much the only thing that'll bring him out of it." Blair looked down at the floor, the energy seeming to drain right out of him. "I didn't really understand what being a Guide meant until the whole mess with the press conference and my thesis. Even then I only had an inkling of an idea. Sentinels don't exactly come with manuals. I got greedy. I wanted everything: my thesis and my Sentinel. It doesn't work that way though."

"What happened, son?" Josiah gently asked when he fell silent again. "What caused that press conference to happen?"

"Naomi. No," Blair shook his head, then ran a trembling hand through his hair. "I can't place the blame on her. She was a catalyst, yes, but it wasn't her fault. It's mine. I knew I should have stopped writing that thesis a long time ago, the second I moved in here, but I'd worked so hard for it, you know? I wanted to be able to hold it in my hands and, even if I was the only one who ever saw it, I could still say to myself I had proof. It wasn't until I almost lost him that I realized I had all the proof I ever needed in Jim. If I hadn't been so selfish and stopped writing that thesis Naomi never would have tried to help me by sending it to that damn publisher and the press never would have gotten hold of it. They were hounding him, Josiah. He couldn't do his job properly, he had no privacy. All of his past cases would have been reopened and brought under review. And it was all my fault. I had failed my Sentinel. I failed my best friend. So I did what I could to fix things. I did what was necessary to protect my Sentinel. I went on national television and declared my work and myself a fraud. I destroyed my life to save his."

Josiah didn't say anything. He knew there wasn't anything he could say that would make things easier. Instead he just hugged him close again, wishing like many fathers before him that he could ease the pain of his son.

Jim shifted uncomfortably in his chair, then finally gave up. "I fold," he said, grabbing his beer and heading out on to the balcony. Simon and Megan exchanged worried glances before Simon folded and followed him out.

"Is everything all right, Jim? You've been wound tighter than a coiled spring and you've almost zoned a couple of times now. Do you want me to get Sandburg? Is this a Sentinel thing?" Simon started to get even more worried the longer Jim didn't answer, just continued to stare out at the water. He'd turned to go get Blair when Jim spoke.

"I thought he'd finally made peace with it, Simon."

"Huh?" Simon turned back to find Jim looking at him.

"Blair and that damn press conference. I didn't know he still felt so much guilt about it. How can I be so blind?"

"Jim, it's only been a year. It's still fresh, and I'm sure having to lie to Josiah, whom he apparently really looks up to, is like pouring salt in a still raw wound. These things take time to heal."

"He's telling him the truth."

"About everything? And you're okay with that?"

"I told him too. Blair said he trusted him so I told him to tell Josiah the truth. I'm glad I did too. I didn't know, I didn't realize how much Blair needed this. Josiah isn't judging him. He isn't judging any of it. He understands mistakes were made but he won't judge his son by them."

"Son? Josiah is his..."

"Not by blood; by heart." Jim looked back out over the bay. "It hurts, Simon, that I can't take away his pain. Knowing that I'm partially responsible for it. What good is being a Sentinel if I can't protect those who are closest to me?"

"You're still a human being, Jim. You still have your limits. Do you know how many times I've wished I could shield Daryl from all the evil in the world? How much I wish I could have protected him from Kincaid? It doesn't work that way. As much as I wish to God it did, it just doesn't. It's part of caring about people. With the joy comes the pain."

"Yeah, well, he's suffered too much."

Simon remained silent, unsure of what to say him.

Meanwhile inside, Megan shrugged when the others looked at her questioningly after Jim's, then Simon's, departure. "Jim gets a bit moody every now and again. Especially if he's concerned about Sandy."

"Why is he worried about Blair?" Nathan asked.

"This last year hasn't been easy for them."

"Because of that press conference?" Vin asked, idly playing with a pretzel.

Megan nodded.

"Why'd he submit that paper if...oomph," JD grunted as Buck's elbow dug in to his side.

"Sandy *didn't* submit that paper. I don't think he ever intended to either, other than as a work of fiction. His mum thought she'd help him by sending his paper to a publisher friend of hers. From there things got worse. The press got a hold of it and suddenly Jim and Sandy couldn't go anywhere or do anything without a mob of reporters following them. Sandy feels like the whole thing was all his fault and the only way he could think to protect Jim's career was to destroy his own. Personally I think the whole thing is his mum's fault and I'm glad she hasn't shown her face around here. Anyway, Jim worries about Sandy. Being a cop wasn't something he'd ever really wanted. And to say things have been difficult with other officers would be an understatement."

"And I thought my mother meddled too much," Ezra commented, retrieving his beer from Vin. "Get your own."

"Maude does meddle too much." Chris glared at Vin as he moved his beer out of the Texan's reach. "I swear if she calls me one more time tellin' me to fire you..."

"She what?!" Ezra stared at him in shock. "You mean to tell me that my mother has been callin' you and tellin' you ta fi-ah me?" His accent thickened so badly they could barely understand what he was saying.

"Now, Ezra," Chris said soothingly, realizing he probably shouldn't have shared that bit of information, "she just thinks she's doing what's in your best interest. She's not doing it to hurt you."

"Ah do not care what she thinks she is doin'! Ah will decide for mah-self what is in mah best interest. She will not get away with this!" Throwing down his cards, he stormed over to their jackets and rummaged through them until he found his cell phone.

"You can't call her, Ez. It's like 11 o'clock in New York," JD said, looking at his watch then shooting a worried look at Chris.

"Oh no. They are not in New York. They are in France at the Chateau. So it is closer to one there."

"Ya had ta tell him didn't ya, cowboy," Vin said shaking his head at Ezra's evil grin that turned to a frown when he over heard the comment.

"Shut up, Vin," Chris growled.

"You knew about this, Mistah Tannah? Hello, Mothah...The only thing wrong is you are not within reach ta throttle. How dare you call Mistah Larabee and ask him...yes, Ah know what time it is, Mothah...no, this will not...She hung up on me!" He immediately hit the redial, staring to pace the kitchen area.

"Ez, maybe ya should wait 'til morning, pard," Buck tried to talk sense to the ruffled Southerner. He fell silent when Ezra just glared at him. They listened as he started shouting into the phone again, only this time he was yelling in French.

Megan looked at him curiously before asking, "I thought he was from Georgia? Why is he shouting in French?"

"He is from Georgia. Maude, however, believes the language of true civility is French," Chris answered. "Funny things is, the only time he uses it is when he's really pissed."

"Pissed?"

"Angry."

"Oh."

Having heard the shouting Blair, Josiah, Jim, and Simon all came back in to the main room.

"What's with him?" Jim asked.

"Is he yelling at Maude?" Josiah looked to Chris who just nodded.

"Chris spilled the beans bout her callin' him ta get him ta fire Ez."

"Thought we decided it would be best he not know about that?"

"It's not like I planned to tell him. It just slipped out," Chris said grumpily, glaring at anyone who dared snicker.

"Why is he yelling in French?" Simon asked.

"Long story. Very long story."

As they sat back down Jim glanced over at Blair, needing to make sure he was all right. Blair caught the glance and smiled, nodding to indicate he was fine. Things were better than fine, but he'd talk with Jim about that later.

Suddenly the shouting stopped and they turned to watch as Ezra very calmly placed the cell phone on the counter. He took a deep breath, retrieved a beer from the fridge as Vin had once again stolen his, and looked back down at the phone. Picking up the phone again, he walked with it and the beer out to the balcony. They watched as he, still very calm, dropped the phone over the side of the rail and listened to it shatter in to a million pieces. A satisfied smile on his face he returned to the table. "My dear mother shall not be bothering you again, Mr. Larabee. I have explained the consequences if she should contact you for anything other than an extreme emergency. I have also explained to her in detail what constitutes an emergency. Shall we continue with the game?"

Everyone just stared at him. Finally Chris managed to say, "You just tossed your phone off the balcony, Ezra."

"Yes, I am aware of that fact, Mr. Larabee."

"You tossed your phone off the balcony, Ezra. You destroyed Agency property."

"Rest assured, Mr. Larabee, that was not the phone given to me by the Agency. That phone is packed in my bag at the hotel. The phone that has met its' demise on Mr. Ellison and Mr. Sandburg's sidewalk was given to me by my dear mother."

Vin was the first to start laughing. The others quickly followed, while Ezra just watched in amusement. Finally they settled down and the game resumed. They played a couple of hands, talking mostly about the conference the next day. Blair got up a couple of times to check the chili. Josiah usually went with him to give him some 'pointers'. Blair's response was usually to just roll his eyes and say, "Uh-huh."

"So, gentlemen," Ezra said finally, "we know how Mr. Sanchez and Sandburg met, how did you two meet, Mr. Ellison? Mr. Tanner?"

"Do you have a problem with first names?" Jim finally demanded, tired of being called Mr. Ellison.

"No, Mr. Ellison. It is impolite to be so informal..."

"I don't care about polite/impolite, formal or not. If you call me Mr. Ellison one more time you're gonna join your phone on the sidewalk. The same way it got there. Understood?"

Ezra stared at him a moment before nodding, "Since you have so eloquently stated your case I shall be more than happy acquiesce to your request, Jim."

"Good."

"Shut up, Vin," Ezra snapped when the Texan snickered next to him. "As I was saying, one would say it is safe to assume you met while in the Rangers. Care to elaborate?"

"The Captain was the head of the unit I was assigned to out of sniper school. He was the scariest guy on base."

"I wasn't that bad." Jim glared at Blair when he snickered.

Vin just raised an eyebrow, "Captain, I still remember the day Rock Scardini pissed his pants an' all ya did was glare at him an' tell'im no one messed with yer unit."

"I'm surprised you remember any of it with the knock you took to that thick-headed skull of yours. The first time I saw the runt here, he was this scrawny looking kid with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas; and he was blinking up at me and Lieutenant Martins from the ground where Rock had just laid him out with a solid punch to the head. Martins snaps me a salute and says, 'Sir, may I present Private Tanner, our new sniper.' Vin here attempted a salute, but he must have been seeing double because he ended up smacking himself in the face. Well, knowing Rock and his tendency to pick a fight with anyone that was smaller than him, which included most of the base, I stepped up to him and asked what happened. He starts giving me this story about how Tanner had come in mouthing off, saying he was the best thing since sliced bread. The thing about Rock is he wasn't too bright. Got his nickname from the saying 'dumb as a rock'. So the more I let him ramble the worse the story gets. Finally he winds down to a stop and I say..."

"The Captain says to'im, 'You're sayin' that this little runt just walked right up to you, a complete stranger twice his size, and just started punching? For no good reason?' Rock's standin' there noddin' his head so hard I thought it were gonna fly off. So the Captain says, 'You wouldn't lie to me, would ya?' Rock's getting this scared look on his face cause the Captain's glarin' and glarin' at him. It's the same glare Chris uses when he's pissed bout something. An' Rock starts stutterin', 'No, Captain Ellison, sir. I wouldn't lie to ya, sir.' And the Captain steps up to him so they were face to face, well almost cause Rock was a little taller, an' says; 'I better not find out otherwise because we all know how well I tolerate people messing with my unit. And the private here is a member of my unit. Understand?' An' Rock's noddin' his head again goin', 'Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Wouldn't dare, sir.' An' he's standin' there with his pants wet in a puddle a piss." Vin chuckled evilly, then blushed suddenly remembering Megan was there. "Uh, sorry, ma'am. Didn't mean ta be so crude."

"No worries, Vin. I grew up with 5 brothers. I've heard far worse."

"I thought getting yelled at by Chris was bad. I sure don't ever want to get you mad at me," JD said, amazed that there could be a good guy even scarier than Chris.

"Tanner is just exaggerating. Rock didn't really wet himself," Jim said, shifting a little uncomfortably under JD's awestruck gaze. It didn't help that Blair and Simon kept snickering.

"Sure smelled like it to me. That and he'd bring it up every time he tried ta pound on me."

"Dammit. I knew he'd try something. Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Wasn't nothing to say." Vin shrugged. "You already had me training with Sensei Malloy. Didn't see no reason to talk about it."

"You know, Runt..."

"What?" Vin grinned at him.

"You are still the scrawniest, most exasperating, pig-headed, pain-in-the-ass I have ever met. Except maybe Sandburg here."

"Hey! I'm not scrawny. I think we've just been insulted, man."

"Nah. Coming from the Captain that's a compliment."

"I'd say we have different definitions of compliment."

"As long as we all have the same definition of Royal Flush," Ezra lay down his cards, "I believe I've won this hand, gentlemen, my dear."

"Aw hell, Ezra. Why don't I just hand you my wallet? One of these days I'm gonna catch you cheating."

"He didn't cheat," Megan and Blair said at the same time as Ezra said; "I assure you, Mr. Wilmington...pardon me?"

"We probably should have warned you guys, these two," Jim indicated Megan and Blair, "might as well be professionals and we know they cheat."

"Do not. At least we don't cheat in these games."

"Only when we play each other. Makes it more interesting that way."

"That's it! I ain't playin' if any of you three are. I've already lost most of my money to Ezra here. Hey, Blair buddy, when's that chili gonna be ready? I'm starved." Buck rose from the table and headed towards the simmering pot, Blair hot on his heels.

********************

"Well, I've only got fifty bucks left for the rest of the trip so I'm finished. Wonder if there's anything good on TV?" JD folded his hand and wandered over to the entertainment center.

"I'm gonna go get some fresh air," Vin announced, taking Ezra's new beer with him.

"Mr. Tanner! Vin, return my beverage at once."

"Losers weepers, finders keepers," Vin's voice floated back in to them from the balcony.

"Please, Chris? Just one bullet? I swear on my sainted mother's grave I won't hit anything vital."

"No, Ez. You cannot shoot Vin for stealing your beer."

"You wouldn't say that if it was your beer."

"Yeah, but he didn't take my beer. Deal with it, Ezra." Chris grinned as the Southerner glared at him.

"He still have problems with being cooped up inside for too long?" Jim asked, catching Chris' attention.

"Vin? Yeah. Hates being in crowds or small places. I'm still amazed we managed to get through the plane ride with out incident."

"Tell that to my pair of Armani suit slacks he ruined."

"Hell, Ezra, you're lucky that's all that was ruined. The two of you were twitchier than a pair of espresso addicts." Nathan commented from the couch, shooting a stern glance at JD, he said, "Son, you change that channel one more time you're gonna lose a hand."

"You're afraid of flying?" Megan asked, shuffling the cards for another round. Josiah grinned and went to help Blair keep Buck away from the chili.

"No, I am not afraid of flying. I simply feel that if we had been intended to fly we would have been born with the proper appendages to do so. Tell me, Miss Connors..."

"Megan."

"As you wish, Megan. Tell me how is it you came to be so well-versed in the art of poker?"

"Her dad's a bookie," Jim answered, rising to his feet and heading out to the balcony to join Vin. Chris raised an eyebrow at Megan; "Your dad is a bookie?"

"Yep. Gambling is legal back home so it's a lucrative profession. He had hoped I'd go into the family business, so he made sure I knew all the tricks of the trade."

"Uh-huh. Well, I quit. Have fun, Ezra." Chris left the table and joined Nathan on the couch. Taking the remote from JD, who was still channel surfing, he put on a sports channel and settled in to watch a baseball game.

"Team leader perk," he said when JD protested.

"And you, Mr. Sandburg? Where did you learn your card playing skills?"

"Blair or Sandburg. Only my students call me mister, and even them I try to get them to call me professor. And my name is not Sandy," he said, shooting a meaningful look at Megan.

"Of course, Sandy," She grinned at his glare.

"As for where I learned to play poker, I picked it up from some of Naomi's friends at one point or another. Then when I was first at Rainier I'd make the rounds of the different games. It helped pay my tuition and board. Where'd you learn to play, Ezra?"

"Mother. If one cannot make their fortune through marriage there is always the gaming tables."

"That seems a little mercenary. I mean, whatever happened to marrying for love?"

Ezra snorted, "You have never met my mother. I never really gave marriage much thought so it hasn't mattered. I do see the game as a chance to study the behavior of others. Something which is remarkably helpful in my line of work."

"I hear that."

"Yes, I believe you do," Ezra said quietly, a small smile on his lips. "Perhaps you'd care to join us for another game? Test our skills against each other?"

"Sounds like fun. How about it, Sandy?"

"Sure. Soon as I'm done here. Buck, you're gonna lose those fingers in a minute, man, if you don't quit it."

******************  
Outside, Jim leaned up against the rail next to Vin. They both stared out over the bay in silence until Jim asked, "Your friends always this lively?"

"Nah," Vin grinned. "We're pretty calm tonight. Chris is usually ready to have a coronary by this point."

Jim laughed. He could well imagine how exasperating his prank-loving friend could be. Vin's next question sobered him up.

"How long have you been back in the States?"

He turned to look at the quiet young man next to him, noticing the lines of tension in the lean body, the sadness. Jim cursed himself for being an idiot ten times over. "Eight years. I thought you'd heard. Hell, it seems like everyone knew about my rescue. There were enough reporters around."

"Didn't know. Until this morning I thought you were dead."

"God, Vin, I didn't realize...Everything was so hectic when I got back I didn't even know you hadn't re-upped until just before my own discharge. When I got out things were just so weird, but I should have..."

"It's okay, Captain. You had your own things to worry about. You didn't need ta be worryin' bout me as well."

"No, it's not okay. You're family, Vin. I should have at least tried to find you, made sure you were doing all right." Jim looked back into the loft, watching the others. JD had regained control of the remote while Chris, Nathan, and Simon sat talking. Blair and Josiah were in the kitchen getting ready to hand out the chili. Buck had wandered back over to the table to flirt with Megan while she continued to play poker with Ezra. "You seem to have good friends though. How long have you all been working together?"

"Little over three years now. The guys are great. Ain't none of us perfect, but we stand by each other."

"Only three years? You seem like you've known each other longer. What were you doing before that?"

"There ain't much work out there for an ex-Army Ranger sniper who can barely read n' write. I was approached by a couple of merc groups and one guy was lookin' to make me an assassin. Just didn't seem right to me so I drifted for a bit, picking up odd jobs here and there. I was working at a feed store outside a Tulsa, trying to get some money to fix my jeep when this guy comes in and tries ta rob the place. I stopped him and tied him up until the local sheriff got there to arrest him. Couple of days later the sheriff shows back up and hands me a check for 10 grand. The guy had a bounty on his head and the sheriff figured I deserved it for catchin' him. Right behind the sheriff came this guy, Eli Joe. Turned out he was a professional bounty hunter who'd been tracking the guy I just got paid for. He'd done his homework and knew about my time in the Rangers and as a sniper. Talked me into partnering up with him. I figured why the hell not? Wasn't like I had any better offers. We'd been working together bout six months when we went down to Tascosa, Texas after a bounty. Eli Joe shot and killed the wrong man. Left me holding the bag, so to speak. The guy who'd been killed had been a real good citizen and folks were pissed. Took some doing but my lawyer finally managed to convince the jury it weren't me. Once I was free I lit outta there fast as I could, not that they weren't just as happy to see me go. After that I went back to Denver and Purgatorio. Kept bounty hunting, but I worked solo. Weren't gonna take the chance of something like that happening again. Then three years ago I was tracking a guy and ended up in the middle of a bust that Chris, Buck, Nathan, and Josiah were working on. When it was all over Chris asked me to join the team. Even got Judge Travis to wave the college degree requirement. Been workin' with'em ever since."

Closing his eyes, Jim wished, not for the first time, that he could go back and change yet another mistake he'd made. Because of his own self-absorption another person he'd cared for had been let down. It was nothing short of a miracle that Vin had managed to remain the honest and decent person Jim had known him to be. He hadn't realized he'd been quiet for so long until Vin spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I know I'm a disappointment to ya..."

"What?" Jim's eyes flew open as he turned to stare incredulously at the sharpshooter. Vin kept his head down, not wanting to see the disappointment, or worse disgust, in the eyes of one of the two men he looked up to most.

"It's all right. I know most people don't think too highly of bounty hunters. An' I know you always expected better from me." Vin trailed off as he felt his chin grasped in a strong hand and lifted until he made eye contact with steel blue eyes.

"Vin, runt, you are not, and have never been, a disappointment to me. You had limited options and you did the best you could. It seems to me you've grown in to a damn fine man and you found yourself good friends, a family to be proud. The only person I'm disappointed in is myself. I should have been there for you. I've hurt so many people I care about because I couldn't see past my own fears."

"I'm a big boy, Captain. I could take care of myself. Been doin' it since I was a kid."

"Yeah," Jim smiled, patting his cheek, "but sometimes you shouldn't have to."

In a rare display of affection Jim pulled him into a hug, whispering to himself, "You shouldn't have to."

Inside Blair looked up in time to see Jim draw the younger man in to a hug. Smiling, he ladled chili into the waiting bowls. Josiah saw the smile and quirked an eyebrow in question. Blair shrugged, "Just happy that things have gone so well tonight."

"Yes, it's been a good night all around."

"Can I help?" JD asked, wandering over to the counter.

"Sure, JD. Thought you were watching TV?" Blair handed him a couple of bowls with chili and spoons.

"Was, but Chris took the remote back. Said 400 was more than enough times to watch a movie."

"What movie?"

"Navy SEALs," JD called back as he went to deliver the bowls to those sitting on the couches.

"Actually," Josiah said quietly, a sly grin on his face, "Chris is uncomfortable watching it ever since JD commented that he looked a lot like the guy who leads the SEAL unit but Chris could kick his butt any day."

Blair tried not to laugh, but couldn't help himself drawing, looks from the others. Josiah just smiled innocently at them while Blair brought himself back under control. "Oh man, that's too funny. It's like the time H started watching reruns of this show on USA network. He said the cop looked just like Jim, only the guy had a better attitude. For weeks after that H kept leaving bags of Twizzlers on his desk cause that's what the cop was always eating. Jim was sooo not happy about it."

Back outside Jim and Vin had returned to taking in the view, occasionally sipping from their beers. Finally Vin slanted a glance at Jim and asked, "So, what happened?"

"I assume we're talking about that mission to Peru?" At Vin's nod Jim continued. "I actually don't remember a lot of it. Basically we were given bad intel. The region we flew into was still hot. There was still a lot of guerilla activity and our chopper was shot down. I was the only one to survive more than a couple of hours after the crash, and the only reason I'm still alive now is because of the Chopec."

"The Chopec?"

"The native tribe that found me and treated my wounds. Most of my time with them is still lost in a haze. Blair figures it's because of my injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I do know that once I was back on my feet I carried out the mission we'd been given. I organized the tribe into a militia and we guarded that pass. No one got through it we didn't want to get through it. I was with them about 18 months before a unit showed up looking for me. I got back to the States and between debriefing and all the reporters wanting to talk to the HERO LOST IN PERU I guess I just repressed everything even more. It was to the point where my time in Peru was like it happened to someone else. Developed a real attitude problem and joined the Cascade PD. Worked Vice for a couple of years. Got married, got divorced. Then I was moved to Major Crimes where Simon partnered me with this guy named Jack Pendergrast. He managed to keep me from getting myself kicked off the force and taught me some of the social skills I'd apparently forgotten. After Jack died things got tough again for a while. Then this curly-haired hippie kid showed up and things slowly started to get easy again. Hasn't always stayed that way but we've worked through our problems."

"When I got back from that solo mission and heard about y'all being MIA I knew Oliver had to be behind it. Bastard was so smug. Hell, the only thing that kept me from killing the arrogant sonuvabitch was Sensei Malloy. Practically sat on me for a week, talking some sense into me. I was transferred to another base after that and a few months later I got my discharge papers. I wish I coulda proved somehow he was behind it."

"Don't worry about it, Vin. He's already been taken care of." Jim shrugged at Vin's questioning glance. "He showed up here in Cascade a couple of years ago. Tried pulling some shit, even kidnapped me and tried to kill Blair trying to cover his tracks. We nailed him good."

"Good. That bastard needed to be taken down." They shared a feral grin at knowing their friends had been avenged. Vin held up his beer; "To friends we've lost and friends we've found."

"I'll drink to that." Jim clinked his beer against Vin's. Silence surrounded them again, Jim thinking about the past and Vin trying to figure out how to ask his next question.

"Is what he wrote in that paper true?"

Jim glanced sharply at Vin, not sure how he wanted to take that. "What do you know about Blair's thesis?"

"Me an' Ez skipped one of our seminars this afternoon so he could go digging on JD's laptop computer. He found a copy of the thesis and the transcript for the press conference. From what he was able to tell me a Sentinel is a person with enhanced senses. You can smell, taste, and feel things other people can't, see things really far away, same with hearing. It also said Sentinels were the protectors of their tribe and would go to great lengths to protect them. It said you needed a Guide to keep from getting lost in your senses, to watch your back." Vin watched Jim carefully, noting the tension in his jaw and the way his hands tightly gripped the rail. "I've been thinking back to our Rangers days and watching you tonight. Seems to me he's right. You always did have an uncanny ability to know when people were coming or something just wasn't right. And tonight there's been a couple of times when you've reacted to something but none of us even noticed it. Seems to me that if he was a liar and fraud like he told all those reporters he was then I doubt you'd have let him stick around. From what I can figure he did what a Guide is supposed to do, he protected his Sentinel. Am I right?"

Jim nodded curtly. "Have you told any of the others?"

"No. Ezra's come to his own conclusions I'm sure. He's good at reading people. It's what makes him such a good undercover guy. He's also got his own share of rumors about being on the take. Ain't true, but Ez didn't bother to fight it. Figured there wasn't anything he could do that wouldn't just make them think it even more. He don't judge people on what he hears from others. He judges'em by what he sees and hears from them. The others don't need to know about it. They seem to be giving Blair a chance; they'll make up their own minds about why he done it, whether there's any truth to it."

"Sandburg's a good kid. Reminds me a lot of you in some ways. The whole thing with that damn thesis was a mess. Things could have been handled a lot better by both of us. It was hard to get back the trust between us. Actually, it took spending close to a month with the Chopec last summer to get it back. There was so much we didn't know about the bond between Sentinel and Guide. So much we took for granted. Now I'll do whatever's necessary to protect him, and I know he'll do the same for me. It was like two pieces of a puzzle that you just knew went together, but no matter how hard you tried wouldn't fit. We fit now. Doesn't matter what happens now. He can move out, get married, have a separate life, but the bond will always be there." Jim was quiet for a moment, before turning to look him square in the eyes. "Whatever happens in your life, Vin, you have good friends in there, don't let go of them. There isn't anything that can't be worked through. Don't learn the hard way like I did."

"I understand, Captain. I don't intend to let them go without a fight."

"Good. Why don't we go and get some of Blair's chili before the others eat it all."

"Sounds great. Hope he makes it hot. Ain't nothin' better'n hot as Hell chili, Captain."

"It's hot all right, and you know, runt, it's just Jim now. Haven't been Captain in eight years."

"Yeah, well I ain't been called runt in nine, so we're even." Vin grinned, ducking as Jim reached out to smack the back of his head, muttering, "Runt."

"Woo-ee! This is good chili, Blair. Tastes a lot like Josiah's," Buck complimented, having already wolfed down half the bowl JD had handed him.

"It should. It's my recipe," Josiah said, patting Blair on the back.

"With a few modifications. I wouldn't eat that so fast, Buck."

"Why not? Oh, Jesus H Christ that's hot! Oh God! Hand me a beer. Someone hand me a beer!" Buck's chest heaved like a bellows pump as he sucked in deep gasps of air, trying to cool the sudden inferno in his mouth. JD quickly handed him his beer, which Buck drained in one gulp before grabbing Chris and Nathan's beers. Blair handed him a glass of water and some bread.

"Some of the herbs I use have a latent potency. As long as you eat slowly you're fine."

"What's wrong with Bucklin?" Vin asked, as he and Jim came back inside.

"I'd say he just found out the hard way not to eat Sandburg's chili too fast," Jim smirked.

"Why dontcha warn a guy next time?" Buck grouched once the burning sensation had eased a little.

"Brother Buck, if you don't know better than to eat unknown chili slowly I'd say it's the good Lord's way of reminding you." Josiah grinned evilly.

"Quit complaining, Buck, it's not like it'll kill you. 'Sides, weren't you the one who poured a whole bottle of Tabasco sauce on top of Inez's super hot buffalo wings last week?" Nathan raised an eyebrow at the ladies man.

"Actually, that was me, Nate," Vin smiled sheepishly, taking the bowl JD handed him. "Thanks, kid. Buck took some before I put the sauce on."

"Runt, here likes his chili real hot. Think yours will do it, Chief?" Jim asked, stirring up the bowl JD gave him.

"It should. If not, I have this...Jim, NO!" Blair looked over in time to realize Jim had the wrong bowl, but not to stop him from putting the spicy food in his mouth. The others looked up in surprise at his shout of warning, watching as he dropped his own bowl in his rush to get to Jim.

Expecting the mild version that Blair usually made for him, Jim opened up his sense of taste and smell just as he took a bite. Before he could even think to spit it out his senses spiraled out of control and he was lost. Everything disappeared into the raging inferno that surrounded him. The flames used up the precious air making him gasp for breath. Something rasped against his skin, burning, making him try to pull back, but it held tight until a new sensation was felt. It was a steady thumping beneath his fingertips. Then a familiar, soothing voice cut through the inferno, slowly pushing it back.

The moment Jim's body went rigid and he began gasping for air Vin was on his feet. "Captain?"

"Sandy?"

"Good Lord, he's choking."

"What the hell? Nathan?" Chris was on his feet in an instant, turning to Nathan, who was already pushing past him.

"He's having an allergic reaction. Someone call 911. Let me help him, Blair."

Blair ignored the others, pushing away Nathan's hands, he hissed, "Don't touch him, you'll make it worse. We don't need an ambulance, Simon."

Simon didn't need further explanation and took the phone from JD. He watched in concern as Blair went to work. "Give them room, guys. Blair knows what he's doing."

"But..." Nathan started to protest, stopping when Simon clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't something medicine can fix."

"What's going on, Buck? Why won't they let Nathan help?" JD edged closer to his 'big brother'.

"Don't know, JD. But this guy better know what he's doing or else."

Blair paid little attention to them, focusing on Jim instead, although he'd heard Buck's threat. He'd deal with it later. For now he continued to speak in low, soothing tones to his Sentinel. "Come on, Jim; come back to me. You're giving everyone a scare here. Just listen to my voice, feel my heartbeat." He placed Jim's hand over his heart and held it there. "You know the drill, big guy. Just dial it down. One click at a time until it's gone. One step at a time. Follow my voice, Jim; follow it back. That's it. Nice, easy breaths. You're almost there. That's it."

Coming out of the zone, he slumped forward into Blair's arms. He was still gasping a little, but it wasn't the panicked hyperventilating from before. As he got his breath back, he asked, "Chief?"

"You zoned, man. Big time. Here, drink this," He handed Jim a glass of milk and a piece of bread. "The bowls of chili got switched. How many times have I told you to smell your food before you eat it? If we'd been in a restaurant..."

"I know, Chief. I got it. Always smell food first. Don't think I'll forget it."

"Damn well better not. You doing better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a headache now, and a slight burning sensation in my mouth. Damn, you make hot chili."

"Yeah, well, now you know why I give you the mild version."

"Would someone care to explain just what in hell is goin' on here?" Buck demanded, tired of being ignored. Blair was on his feet and in Buck's face before he could blink.

"How dare you accuse me of not knowing how to protect my Sentinel!"

Buck gulped certain he'd just heard the sound of a wolf snarling. He held up his hands in defeat, "I'm sorry. I just..."

"He didn't mean anything by it, Blair," Josiah said soothingly, when Buck seemed at a lose for words. "He didn't know what was happening and was concerned."

"What was happening, Josiah? Blair?" Chris asked, glaring at all of them, waiting for an answer.

Blair seemed to deflate and he sank down on to the couch next to Jim. Leaning his head back, he covered his face with his hands, wishing the whole nightmare would go away. Jim rubbed a tired hand over his face, might as well get it over with. "Chief?"

"Aw hell, man. In for a penny in for a pound." Jim shook his head at Blair's muffled words.

"This is to go no farther than here. Only a few people know the truth and we'd like to keep it that way."

"Just what is the truth?" Pale green eyes met ice blue eyes in a challenging glare. Both were used to being in control and both would do whatever was necessary to protect their chosen families. Chris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he watched Jim's eyes shift. One moment they were normal pale blue human eyes, the next they were yellow cats eyes. He blinked and it was gone, making him wonder if he hadn't imagined it.

Jim rose to his feet, holding Chris' glare. "I am a Sentinel, and Blair is my Guide. The only lie that was told is when Blair declared his work fraudulent."

"Well, hell." Buck dropped down on to the second couch. Then he frowned in confusion, "What exactly is a Sentinel? And a Guide?"

"Chief? Maybe you should explain this?"

"It'll probably be easier to show them. Smell and hearing would probably be easiest."

"All right," Jim said with a shrug. He sniffed lightly, testing the air, before extending his sense of smell a little farther and sneezed. "Well, first Buck is wearing way too much Brute cologne. Larabee is wearing Aspen, and Ezra has on Tommy for Men. He also uses an herbal scented shampoo, kind of like yours, Chief, only his has an underlying scent of vanilla while yours is ginger. JD has two sticks of spearmint chewing gum, a breath mint, and a chocolate bar in his pocket. His heart rate just increased as well. Is that enough?"

"I'm still not sure I understand," Chris said.

"Jim has enhanced senses," Blair spoke up, "beyond the range of normal people's. He's a genetic throwback if you will. In primitive cultures tribes had a guardian, a Sentinel, to watch over them. He would warn of impending attack, or track the game needed for the tribe's survival."

"What about you?" Nathan asked. "He called you his Guide."

"Every Sentinel has a Guide, someone to watch their back and to prevent them from zoning. That's what happened earlier. Jim zoned on the taste of the chili because it was far too spicy for his enhanced senses to handle. I suspect Vin got the bowl Jim was supposed to get. I provide an anchor for him to focus on when he using his senses to prevent a zone out."

"So you're kind of like Superman?" JD asked, his eyes wide and his fingers nervously twisting in his shirt, unsure if he should be awed or frightened.

"I'm most definitely not Superman, kid. I'm all too aware of my faults; and enhanced senses don't mean squat when you can't protect the ones you care about."

"I think we can all understand that feeling, Brothers," Josiah spoke quietly; looking in turn at the six men he called family. "I also think, with the evening's excitement, it is perhaps time we took our leave. We do still have to attend the conference tomorrow and the hour has grown late. Why don't we all meet for breakfast in the morning at the hotel?"

"I'd say that sounds like a good idea, Josiah," Simon answered for Jim and Blair. The others silently nodded and collected their coats. No one spoke, unsure of what to say. Josiah and Blair hugged, while Jim and Vin clasped forearms. Then Vin gave him a cocky salute making Jim shake his head and grin. Everyone shook hands, although Megan surprised everyone by kissing Ezra on the cheek. He blushed a little and mumbled, "Good night, my dear."

Simon closed the door behind the last of the seven departing men and turned to face Jim and Blair, who had resumed their seats on the couch. Megan glanced at Simon from the kitchen where she was putting dishes in the sink. With a nod and a slight tilt of his head Simon indicated she should follow him into the living room area. Simon cleared a space on the coffee table to sit on, knowing Jim wouldn't be happy when he realized it. Megan sat in the arm chair to the left of Simon. Neither man acknowledged their presence. Blair was studying the ceiling, while the floor had Jim's undivided attention.

"Are you two all right with this?" Simon asked after a moment of continued silence.

"Jim glanced up, meeting his friend's gaze with a slight twist to his lips that might almost be considered a smile. "Yeah, Simon. We're okay. Just hadn't really planned on telling all of them."

Blair groaned, still looking at the ceiling, "I am so sorry, Jim. I never meant to just blurt it out like that. But when Buck insinuated I'd let anything happen to you I just..."

"It's okay, Chief. I understand. Besides this whole mess is really my fault. If I'd been paying attention to what I was eating it wouldn't have happened."

"But if I had..."

"Stop," Simon said sternly, cutting Blair off before he could come up with another way to blame himself. "It was an accident. Neither one of you are to blame or both of you are to blame. It's happened and that's that. Do you understand me?"

Both men nodded silently. Simon gave them a long look before rising to his feet. "We're gonna head out now. I'll see you at the conference tomorrow."

Jim and Blair followed them to the door. Megan gave a Blair a quick hug, and patted Jim's arm. "Everything will work out, boys. You'll see."

"Thanks, Megan," Blair said with a smile.

"I hope you're right, Connors," Jim closed the door behind them.

"Well, that was an interesting evening. Do you think we'll have anything to worry about?" Blair asked as he moved into the kitchen, heading for the sink. Jim followed, moving to put the items on the counter away.

"Vin trusts them, as does your friend Josiah. They seem like a decent group."

"Yeah, I thought so too. How did he take it when you told him?"

"When I told who what?"

"When you told Vin about your abilities while you were out on the balcony."

"How'd you know I told him?" Jim turned to look at the smaller man who had his back to him, his arms buried to the elbow in the sink.

Blair glanced over his shoulder at him, "When you said it was alright for me to tell Josiah, I just assumed you were going to talk with Vin about it if he brought it up. Vin didn't seem at all surprised by the whole thing when we told the others so I just assumed you had told him earlier."

With a shake of his head, Jim started drying the clean dishes, "More like he told me about it."

"Huh?"

"Apparently him and the Southerner skipped on of their seminars to go dig up your thesis and a transcript of the press conference from the web. Vin seemed okay with the whole thing. Actually I think he approved of what you did. Said you were doing what a Guide's supposed to. He also thinks I might have been using some of my abilities even while I was in the Rangers. Picking up on things before others did." Jim paused for a second, considering, then turned to look at Blair, "You might want to talk with the runt. See if he'll let you do some tests with him."

"You don't think..."

"I'm wondering. Back then his eyes were even better than mine and his hearing was almost as good. It's part of why he was a sniper, and he's sharpshooting for Larabee now."

"I'll talk to him. See if I can't arrange something before they head back to Denver. If he is a Sentinel I wonder who his Guide is? If he's zoned before someone would have had to bring him out of it."

"Larabee maybe? They seemed pretty close."

"I'll talk to Vin about it. Any other dishes need cleaning?"

"No, this is it. Don't worry, Chief. I'll leave the vacuuming until tomorrow. Think it's time for some shut-eye."

"Sounds good to me, man."

"Everyone seemed to have a good time tonight."

"Yeah, they did. Megan seemed to really like the Southerner, Ezra."

"Hmm, they did get along pretty well, but there's nothing there."

"Huh? What does that mean? How do you know?"

Jim grinned, heading up to his room. At the top of the stairs he turned to look at his best friend and Guide, "No pheromones, Chief. No pheromones."

**Epilogue**

"Well, that certainly was an enlightening evening," Ezra commented, breaking the silence in the mini-van as they drove back to the hotel.

"That's one way of putting it."

"And how would you put it, Mr. Jackson?"

"Weird," Nathan said with a disbelieving shake of his head. He was still trying to come to terms with the whole thing. It just didn't make logical, medical sense. "I still can't believe he just shoved me away like that. I was trying to help."

"Don't take it personally, Brother. Blair knows you only wanted to help, but at the time he was more concerned about Jim. From what Blair told me the only thing that won't hurt a Sentinel in a zone out is his Guide's touch. Unknowingly you could have caused Jim a great deal more pain."

Nathan nodded to indicate he'd heard before turning to look out the window. He found it hard to process the thought that he could have caused more harm than good in an attempt to help. He was a former medic, an EMT. He knew how to help people.

"So what do we do now?" Buck asked.

"Do about what?" Chris glanced in the rearview mirror at his oldest friend. He knew what Buck was asking but was unwilling to voice it himself.

"This whole Sentinel thingy. How are we supposed to act around them? Can we talk about it in public or is this all hush-hush?"

Vin opened his mouth to answer, but JD beat him to it. "We've been trusted with a big secret. It don't matter that they hadn't intended to tell us at first, cause in the end they did. Now they're expecting us to keep that secret. I'd say it's something we don't discuss in public unless they bring it up. Blair went through a lot of trouble to get people to believe his paper wasn't true. I hate to think one of us would make all that suffering pointless by blabbing the truth to the wrong person."

They had all turned to stare at JD as he spoke. Chris even pulled over the mini-van so he could look at their youngest member.

"Well, shoot," Buck mumbled, hearing the truth and wisdom in the kid's words.

"Well put, Mr. Dunne. Very well put," Ezra said with a nod and a pat on the younger man's knee.

"JD's right about it making what they went through meaningless, but there's other reasons why it ain't a good idea ta go talkin' about it."

"What kind of reasons?" Chris met Vin's gaze and almost wished he hadn't asked the question.

"You all know a lot of my time in the Rangers is heavily classified? Hell, there are some things I don't think even the President has clearance ta know. Anyway, what I can tell you is after the Captain and the others went MIA I was transferred to another base and labeled a troublemaker, a loose cannon."

"That's a good one, Junior," Buck laughed. "What'd you do? Put a whoopie cushion in the wrong General's chair?"

"Nah. It was on account I attacked a superior officer without just cause."

Buck halted mid-laugh when he caught the serious tone. He looked the sharpshooter in the eye, catching a glimpse of the feral hunter that often lurked just beneath the laid-back exterior. "Hell, you're serious."

"Damn straight."

"Why may I ask did you attack a superior? I'm sure you had proper justification even if you couldn't prove it. I'm just curious."

"He was the man responsible for the bad intel that got them shot down in Peru. I'm sure he did it deliberately but I couldn't prove it then or provide a motive. I was courtmartialed, but enough people stood up for me that I only spent a month in the brig, then I was transferred. After my transfer I did a lot of loan-out work."

"Loan-out work?" Nathan questioned.

"Yeah. I was loaned out to just about every alphabet agency we got and some we don't." Vin shook his head, clearing away the memories. "The point is if some a them agencies ever got a hold of the Captain and Blair....Let's just say death'd become a mighty tempting prospect."

Each of them contemplated that thought and none of them liked the scenarios they came up with.

"So what do we do?" JD asked.

"Might I suggest we return to the hotel, get a good night's sleep and on the morrow treat them the same as we would any other associate? As far as this Sentinel business it should only be brought up in private and for the most part when they initiate the discussion."

"For once I agree with Ezra. That seems like the best plan," Nathan said, casting his vote. One by one they agreed and Chris resumed the drive to the hotel. Chris couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring, not realizing that the others were thinking the same thing.

Fini


End file.
